To Be a Dragon's Mate
by Emilia Drake
Summary: To fall in love with a Dragon, no one saw the consequences of it till it was almost too late...   GaLe with NaLu and a hint of GrayxJuvia. RxR I'm horrible at summaries, but I'm pretty good at stories.
1. Prologue: A Dream For What it Seems

_**Why**__, she wondered as she stood before a ginormous bonfire, wearing nothing but the skin on her flesh. __**Why am I here? What's going on? **__She heard the drums pounding in a primitive rhythm and watched as her body swayed to their hypnotic beats. I don't understand. __**Why am I doing this? What's happening? **__No matter how much she thought, her body still moved to the drums, feeling a wild magic brew as the sound dragged on, wrapping itself around her like fine silk till she felt it suffocating her. And yet she still danced. __**No. . . . no, I don't want this! Make it stop! No more **__she wanted to scream out, but she didn't. She couldn't. The power had consumed her body and slowly began to take her soul. Then it all stopped. All that moved and could be heard were the flames, dancing as she did whilst they crackled. That is, until a figure stepped forward. "My lady, you have finally returned." And so the world went dark, never to be seen again._


	2. Chapter 1

Levy shot up from the bed in a cold sweat, shaking from head to toe as the dream replayed itself in her mind. _What the Hell was that?_ Flashes of her dream replayed in her memory, the drums still beating loudly in her ears as the face that appeared haunted her. Her skin crawled from the disturbing image. It was just a dream Levy. Get a hold of yourself she scolded, shaking the strange dream from her mind.

Sighing, the script mage made her way out of bed, dragging her feet to the restroom.

Levy's routine was rather simple. Shower. Brush teeth. Tie hair. Get dressed. Grab a book. Go to the guild. As usual, Jet and Droy were outside, waiting for their cute companion, and greeted her with the normal "Good morning Levy-chan~!" She would always smile and return the gesture, chatting animatedly with them till they reached the guild, where she'd leave the pair to themselves while she went to bother Lucy.

"Lu-chan! Good morning" she chimed, shoving the strange dream to the back of her mind. For now. Her blonde friend grinned and said

"Good morning Levy-chan. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm just fine! How are you? Still dating Natsu?"

Levy giggled as she watched the celestial mage flush and nod. Natsu had finally asked the girl out last year, sealing the deal by kissing her **thoroughly** in front of the **entire** guild. Even the master witnessed it, and had a few choice things to say like "Always use protection" and "Wear fire-proof panties". Lucy ended up fainting from the embarrassment.

"Enough about me though" she said, desperately wanting to change the subject. "Have you talked to Gajeel?" It was Levy's turn to blush. "N-n-n-no. . . ."

All the girls of Fairy Tail knew about Levy's affection toward the iron dragon slayer. She wasn't exactly good at hiding it.

"Levy~! You're gonna have to tell him sooner or later! If you don't, the meat-head will never figure it out" Lucy whined, shaking Levy's shoulders for added effect. "Lu-chan, keep it down! Are you trying to advertise it to the whole guild?" she hissed, smiling cutely at suspicious bystanders to throw them off. It worked, like always. Lucy could only giggle. "But you know I'm right" she continued to tease.

Levy pouted. "So what if you're right? I won't tell him because he most likely has no interest in a shrimpy bookworm like me." "How do you know?" Levy couldn't answer, which only served to fuel the blonde. "Come on Levy! Take a risk! It wouldn't hurt you know."

Again, the bookworm sighed. "It's no use trying Lu-chan. A big strong man like him would never be interested in a plain little girl like me" she murmured.

"Who's the big strong man?"

Levy's head snapped around to meet the crimson eyes of the very person they were talking about.

"G-G-G-G-G-"

"Spit it out runt. You got a speech impediment or something?" Gajeel rumbled, throwing a few iron bolts into his mouth. Levy gulped and shook her head. "No, you just surprised me is all." He raised a curious brow, but let it go, taking a seat next to her and grumbling "Whatever you say, bookworm."

They sat in silence for a good five minutes before Gajeel broke it. "Let's go on a mission bookworm. Lily's hanging around Erza more and more these days and it's getting boring." Levy grinned at the Iron Dragon Slayer, hopping to her feet. "Alright! Sounds fun!" Chuckling, he finished his meal and walked over to the message board, browsing it before pulling a request. "This one."

Levy reviewed the mission and furrowed her brows. "It's a two week mission. You sure you can stand me for that long?" she inquired, glancing up at him curiously. Gajeel rolled his eyes. "You're not annoying, brat. As long as you don't get in my way, we'll be just fine."

The mission seemed easy enough. All they had to do was locate, tame, and retrieve a jeweled cat by the name of Clara-Beth. "Huh. A carbuncle. Never expected anybody to actually keep one as a pet" Levy murmured. "Wonder why it's going to take two weeks." "Understandable. Carbuncles are very rare to come across and are impossibly good at hiding. The extent of their magic power hasn't even been determined, so the majority of their talents remain a mystery" Levy explained, folding up the request and stuffing it in her bag.

"Are you ready?" Levy asked, grinning up at Gajeel with all the warmth and trust she showed everyone. The Dragon Slayer smirked.

"Always."

* * *

><p>Gajeel and Levy had an interesting secret they kept from the guild, partly from discomfort and partly for fun. As soon as the town left their view from the train window, the bookworm was settled neatly in his lap with his lips latched onto hers.<p>

Yes. Gajeel Redfox and Levy McGarden were together romantically behind everyone's back.

"Mmn. Gajeel" Levy whispered, breaking the heated lip-lock to look him in the eye. "Is this two week mission revenge for the one I took with Jet and Droy last month?" Gajeel would be lying if he said no, so instead, he squeezed her bottom and nipped her ear.

"I'm going to remind you why I don't like your long ass missions with those two idiots during this trip, runt" He rasped hotly in her ear, making the woman shiver with delight. SHe didn't understand how he always managed to make a mess of her.

_That's not true. You know it's because Gajeel is the only one that doesn't think you're helpless_ Levy thought, smiling sweetly at the object of her affections. Gajeel wasn't a cruel and terrible person like everyone had thought at first. He even apologized to Levy and her teammates by way of putting himself in harms way. Now, she wasn't going to say that Gajeel was a gentle giant and full of warm fuzzy feelings. He was still a rough, tactless, irritable, bossy, pain in the ass. But in the end, he was sincere in the most strangest of ways.

Levy licked Gajeel's lips, whispering "I love you" so softly, any normal person wouldn't have heard her. Lucky for Gajeel though, he wasn't a normal person.

"Love you too, bookworm" he rumbled, nipping her bottom lip affectionately. ". . . Gajeel? I was curious about something" she murmured, gripping his vest tightly in her little hands. "Ask away." She glanced up at him warily, then took a deep breath and began talking.

"You know that we've been together for three months now, right?"

"Yes."

"And in those three months, we've been keeping our relationship a secret from the guild because we don't think that they'd be able to handle it, especially Jet and Droy" Levy murmured, resting her head against Gajeel's chest. He settled his hand on her lower back and said "Yeah."

Levy gulped. "M-maybe we can tell them, you know? Make it official and blow caution and care to the wind. . . " She didn't know how he'd react. After all, she had been the one to suggest they keep their status a secret from everyone out of selfishness. _What if he gets mad? It was already bad enough when he thought that I was too ashamed to be his girlfriend and took me a week to convince him that wasn't the reason._ She was so lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice him talking. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't hear you!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes and repeated himself. "I said that's fine with me." He smirked when he saw her eyes widen to the size of saucers, tempted to kiss her quivering lips again. _Damn it. Talk faster so we can get back to more interesting things._ To say he was an impatient man was an understatement, but he had to control his urges around Levy. He didn't want to lose her trust forever. _Then again, the shrimp never really said she didn't trust me when I joined the guild. She was just scared_ he reminisced, feeling the sharp pain in his chest that he should have felt when he committed the act. _How the Hell did I get so lucky for her to forgive me and even accept me as something more?_ "Gajeel?" The Iron dragon slayer snapped out of his sappy moment of the day and glanced down at the source of the voice.

"Yeah?"

"Uum, you're kinda kneading my butt" she murmured shyly, the cutest blush spreading across her cheeks. Gajeel's shit eating grin would've put Natsu's to shame. He continued rubbing and squeezing, leaning down to leave a love bite on her collar bone. "And this is a problem?"

"N-n-n-no, but. . . " Levy whimpered softly when his hand slid further between her legs, palming her core.

"Speak up bookworm."

"N-not here. W-wait till we get to our hotel."

Gajeel would've argued. Hell, he'd have turned her on to the point of mindlessness, but he knew better. He slid his hand away and pressed their foreheads together, grumbling slightly.

Levy giggled and pecked his nose innocently. "Don't worry. I'll let you have your way at the hotel, I promise" she cooed, making his cock twitch.

"You're a bloody tease, ya know that?"

"Mmmmhmmmm."

"Brat."

"Brute."

"Bookworm."

"Beast."

"Why are all our names starting with B?"

"Because we're best represented by words that happen to start with the letter B?"

"That's stupid."

"That's too bad."

They snickered, finding their silly little banter amusing.

Levy snuggled into Gajeel's chest and traced invisible patterns on the toned muscles of his abdomen while he rubbed her back. It was a comfortable silence, one she relished.

That's when the dream seeped in from the back of her mind. _Damn it, not now! I don't want to debunk you while I'm comfortably sitting in my boyfriend's lap! We rarely get to do this as it is!_ "Levy, you alright? You tensed up" Gajeel murmured, his irritable tone masking the worry only she could hear. Of course, only she'd ever be able to pick that up. Levy looked up at Gajeel, smiling passively. "It's nothing." "Liar."

Gajeel noted that her muscles were still bunched up, which only served to bother him more. _Almost like she's ready for an attack._ "I can feel when you're lying bookworm. Your heart rate goes up" he reminded, tapping a finger against the pulse-point against her neck.

_Stupid heart. Why do you have to give me away? Damn traitor._ Sighing in defeat, Levy explained the strange dream she'd had the night before, a sense of fear stabbing her for some reason.

"I don't know what it means, but I'm worried about it" Levy admitted, wrapping her arms around Gajeel's neck. "It seemed too real to write off, and I could still hear the drums when I woke up. It's bothering me. . . "

"Maybe it was just a dream." He himself did not believe it, but Gajeel wasn't the kind of person that would admit to believing that dreams were messages of what was to come. And he sure as Hell would never admit it to his bookworm.

Levy giggled, her unease dealt with for the time being, and leaned up to Gajeel's lips.

"Thank you" Levy murmured as she pressed their lips together. Gajeel smirked and returned the kiss, ruining the gentleness of it with his unrelenting strength.

But of course, she wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

><p><em>Shoot! I forgot to ask Levy-chan about my dream<em> Lucy thought, pouting as she rested her head against the bar like usual. _And it was such a freaky one too. She might've liked debunking it. . ._

The vivid memory of drums and the warmth of a fire was interrupted by the cheerful voice of a certain white-haired beauty.

"Lucy, is everything alright?" Mirajane hummed, cleaning a glass.

The blonde in question looked up at her cheerful friend and said "I'm fine. Just thinking is all."

"Oh? Thinking about Natsu~? Where is he anyway?"

Lucy sighed, trying to dig her head further into the bar.

"He's out on the hunt for Igneel again. Some rumor was flying around that a red-scaled dragon had been spotted over Hargeon Town."

A fond smile graced Lucy's lips, recalling the day she'd first met the salamander and his cat. Never in all my wildest dreams did I expect meeting a Fairy Tail mage in that town, end up joining, and eventually be with the fire breather. It's all so surreal. She giggled lightly. _I wonder if you're thinking the same thing as me, Natsu. . . _

* * *

><p>The sigh that escaped Levy's parted lips couldn't have passed for anything short of a blissful one. Upon arrival at their hotel, the manager was so besotted by Gajeel's guild tattoo, he'd given them the best room for half the price. So there she was splayed over the soft mattress with a pleasant expression. <em>Pay the price of a normal room for the grandest one. Life is good.<em>

"Oi, bookworm. You trying to tempt me?" a gravelly voice rumbled, making the small woman shiver with delight.

Levy sat up from the ridiculously comfortable bed, smiling sweetly at Gajeel as she said "No, but if you're so tempted, you know I'll never put up a fight."

She could already see the muscles in his body ripple. Only Levy knew how to make him react in such a way.

"It's not smart to tease me, runt" he grunted, slowly making his way toward as she slid further away in the bed. A giggle escaped Levy when Gajeel grabbed her ankle and yanked her back toward him, pinning her hands down with the same grin that put the fear of God into people.

Not Levy McGarden though. She could never be scared of that grin. Not ever again.

She'd learned very early in their relationship that this was the closest to a smile Gajeel could get. She knew that the grin everyone thought was sinister was actually entirely opposite, his scary one was reserved for people that got on his sadistic side.

Levy's thoughts were swiftly interrupted by a pair of lips and a sneaky tongue invading her mouth. Impatient as ever.

Gajeel growled his approval at her taste. Rich and sweet, like whipping cream, it made him want to lap her up. Her lips parted readily beneath his, so he pressed his advantage. His tongue slid inside to tease and taste, exploring her flavors and textures like a mapmaker charting new territory.

He leaned into her, acquainting his body with hers, re-learning the heat and scent and curve of her. He felt the tension in her muscles and the subtle yielding in her lips as they began to cling to his. Damn, she tasted so good! Her flavor seemed to deepen with each taste, flooding through him and feeding his arousal.

Gajeel never understood how she always managed to have such a powerful effect on him, nor did he ever care. To him, all that mattered in this moment was the fact that Levy was his and he planned to indulge himself to his heart's content. _Gotta love long missions._

The taste of him was the most perfect thing Levy had ever experienced, and the rest of reality ceased to exist when his hands settled on her hips and tugged her closer against him. How did he always manage to make her a puddle of goo, she wondered.

Levy wrapped her arms around his neck on a groan, her fingers burrowing into the thick silk of his hair and twining themselves in the strands. She heard him growling with pleasure and felt the rumble of it like distant thunder rolling through her. When he angled his head and deepened the kiss on a growl, she shuddered and forgot all reason.

The man had a thing for her ass, and used his grip to tug and angle her hips until she felt his erection settle into the groove between her legs. Levy moaned and, feeling benevolent, made it easier for him by spreading her legs and wrapping them around his hips.

She felt Gajeel shift, spreading his own legs and getting a firmer grip on her bottom. He rolled his hips in a slow, lazy thrust, and Levy moaned against his mouth. He was driving her crazy. And this kind of crazy, she didn't even mind.

He grabbed her wrists and slammed them up beside her head. He leaned forward, using his weight to keep her still, and rolled his hips against hers.

She cried out as her clit throbbed to life beneath her shorts. Shorts that would probably have a huge wet patch between the legs if he didn't hurry up and get her out of them. She opened her mouth to tell him that, but he cut her off with another roll of his hips, making her moan again.

At some point Levy's eyes drifted shut against her will, leaving her unprepared for the heightening of every feeling. Each sensation—the cool feel of his piercings against her skin, the harsh sound of his breathing against her ear—was so intense she had to fight the need to beg Gajeel to touch her.

"You know I'm going to make you come, bookworm. Don't you?" His tongue swept the pale curve of her ear in a rasping caress and one of the hands that had moved back to her ass moved lower, sliding between her legs to cup her from behind. "I'm going to take you until you can't remember your name, until you can't lick your lips without tasting me, until you make yourself hoarse from screaming my name."

Her hands clenched, nails biting into his shoulders. The heat and tension inside her threatened to snap, and she thought she might break in half along with them.

His teeth closed on the sensitive skin at the curve of her throat and bit down, sending her desire into overdrive and making her body overflow with cream.

"Y-yes," she said, and cried out when he answered with a low growl and a hard shove of his hips. If there hadn't been so much cloth in the way, she would have come right then and there.

Levy caught his lower lip between her teeth and tugged at it, as if trying to pull his mouth into hers. When she released it, she went immediately back for more, nudging his lips apart and plunging her tongue inside to forage for his own. His response consisted of pressing her further into the mattress, flipping open the button on her shorts and sliding his hand inside her panties.

Levy screamed against his mouth and bucked her hips against his hand.

Gajeel tore his lips from hers and swore, something low and savage and foreign. He shifted to brace one arm under her bottom in order to raise her higher while his fingers sliced through her wet folds to find her opening and thrust deep.

Levy threw her head back and screamed again. Two long, wide fingers speared into her, stretching her and filling her. The unexpected penetration made her mind fog and her pussy clench and she sobbed for the breath he had stolen from her. Her hips tilted and her legs climbed higher until her knees were clamped about his rib cage and his fingers had slid as deeply as they could reach. His wrist twisted, fingers screwing inside her, and she moaned in pleasure and need.  
>"God, yes!" she panted, lips parted and eyes squeezed shut. "More…touch me…"<p>

He leaned closer, clamping his teeth on the base of her throat, growling like an animal. Then his fingers moved and began thrusting, establishing a rapid, driving rhythm that caressed her internal walls and drove her closer to the edge. She could feel her muscles bunching and tensing in preparation for climax and she whined at the unbearable pleasure.

Her fingers clutched at his shoulders, creasing the fabric of his vest and biting into the flesh beneath. If he'd been shirtless, she might have drawn blood, but she didn't care. Her body bowed in his arms, hips thrusting mindlessly against his hand. He shifted her again, his touch withdrawing momentarily and tearing a frantic cry of protest form her.

"No! More! Please, more."

Levy could barely understand herself, but she needed him to understand. She needed him to understand that she would die if he stopped touching her. She would die.

Then his fingers slid back, three this time, thrusting deep inside her, stretching her entrance and driving her higher. She thought she might have screamed again, wondered vaguely if the room was soundproofed, then squeezed her pussy around him and forgot everything else. She could feel her moisture flooding his hand and shuddered. The awkward confines of her shorts meant his hand cupped her mound while his fingers fucked her, keeping him from the deeper penetration she craved. She whimpered and squirmed and tried to draw the breath to beg. But he twisted his hand and pressed his thumb against her clit and nothing else mattered because she came, sobbing in his arms.

Gajeel felt her climax, felt the ripples of her contractions gripping his fingers and fought for every shred of self-control he could muster. He wanted to tear off her shorts and fuck her just like that. Simmering, he let her ride out her orgasm.

Her eyes were closed and he doubted it had even registered that they had stopped moving. Her arms still clung to his shoulders, her legs still gripped him like a vise and her pussy still pulsed with aftershocks around his fingers just before he pulled them out.

Levy's face had the soft, dazed sweetness of an angel who had savored her fall and Gajeel couldn't resist kissing her, claiming her swollen lips and bruising them with the force of his desire.

Fuck patience. He needed to get inside her within the next fifteen minutes or else he risked insanity.

Gajeel tore off their clothes, making Levy squeak in surprise.

He wanted her bare to him, and he intended to have her that way.

He leaned over her and set his teeth to the narrow spot that joined the cups of her bra. Gajeel sliced through it and the lacy fabric fell away, exposing Levy's nipples to his avid mouth. He latched onto one immediately, curling his tongue around the hard little point and tugging it into his mouth to suck hard. He heard her cry out, felt her hands bury themselves in his hair and he grunted in satisfaction. She tasted like spice and warm cream, and he wanted to lap her up until he lacked the strength to lick his own lips.

He set his mouth to her other nipple and drew on it just as fiercely. She moaned his name and cradled him to her, her body already shifting restlessly against him.

That was all he could take.

He guided his cock to her dripping entrance. Poised there for a brief moment, he looked down into her eyes and felt a familiar wave of possessiveness wash through him.

"Mine," he growled. That's when Gajeel drove hard and deep into her core with one heavy thrust.

Levy parted like liquid velvet around him.

"Yes," he hissed, coming to rest deep inside her, buried to the hilt in her tight, hot core. She felt like heaven. She rippled around his cock the same way she had rippled around his fingers, with slow, hot pulses and the slick flood of the honey he knew he wanted to taste before too much longer. But not now. Now he wanted to fuck her until she came apart around him and he spilled himself in her honeyed heat.

Bracing his hands beside her head, he let his muscles gather and began to pull back from her clinging heat.

"Oh Gajeel!" She gasped and moaned, shifting restlessly beneath him. "Now! I need you now!"

His hips stopped when she held just the head of his cock inside her. He wanted to withdraw all the way so he could savor that first, maddening stretch as he entered her again, but he couldn't bear to separate himself from her heat. This would be easier on her anyway. Now that he was already inside, he could ride her harder than he could if he withdrew completely and forced her to take him all over again.

He stood there, muscles trembling, cock just barely inside her, poised on the brink of his next thrust with her body soft and pliant beneath him.

He thrust home with heavy force, spearing her so deeply he thought he could feel the back of her womb. She screamed and he froze, afraid he had hurt her, but her body trembled around him and her hips lifted toward him, so he relaxed and began to thrust into her in earnest.

Over and over Gajeel thrust inside her, riding her hard. Levy felt so amazing around him, milking his cock, squirming and writhing beneath him. Her fingernails bit into his bare shoulders, cutting deeply, but the pain only egged him on. She cried out with nearly every thrust now, her knees gripping his hips as he drove high and hard inside her. He felt himself approaching meltdown and grabbed her hips to hold her still as he threw his hips harder against her. He battered into her, unable to be gentle, unable to hold back. All he could do was ride out the madness by riding her hard toward climax.

He felt it hit her unexpectedly. One moment she twisted and struggled beneath him, trying to get closer and get away all at once, and the next she clamped around him like a vise, arms, thighs and pussy tightening and gripping him to her. Levy screamed out his name, the sound issuing hoarsely from her raw throat, and her body arched like a bow beneath him, coming up off the bed until only her head and her hips supported her.

Gajeel wrapped his arms around her holding her steady while he continued to drive inside her. Thrusting was more difficult now, as her body struggled to keep him inside, but he forced through her resistance with half a dozen savage thrusts until the pleasure took him, too, dragging him over the edge of climax. He poured himself into her on a rough shout, feeling his very being drain out of him and into her warm, encompassing body. Then he collapsed onto her, pinning her to the mattress, thinking with a sense of pride that he hadn't nearly finished with her yet.

* * *

><p><em>Again, she danced by the bonfire, her skin glowing with sweat and magic. <strong>Why<strong>, she wondered. Why was she here? Why was she so entranced by the tribal rhythm of the drums? She couldn't stop her movement, couldn't resist the enchanting mist of power that had surrounded her. It felt like silk, dressing her in an invisible garment, but tightened as the dance continued. Then the drums stopped. She fell to her knees, staring deeply into the fire as a figure began to form. It started with a basic frame. A woman's figure. Then came the hair, the wispy tendrils of flame changing to the color of the sun. Next came features, like a nose and mouth. The feature that took her breath away though, were the eyes. Big, molten brown in the fire, she knew those eyes better than anyone. The question was, why were they here?_

_The fiery girl walked out of the flames, kneeling by her. "You are both here now. How wonderful" a male voice purred, the source of it walking out from the shadow. "Now milady will be complete." And so the world went black, sending the women into an endless oblivion._

* * *

><p>Levy shot up from bed, eyes wide with terror. What was that? Why was it so different this time? Why did Lucy show up? All these questions ran through her mind and she couldn't help but clutch her head, shaking terribly.<p>

"Levy?"

Her eyes shot straight for Gajeel's. One look at her frightened features and he had her wrapped tightly in his arms. "What's wrong? What is it?" he rasped, rubbing her back to help ease the trembling. It didn't work

Levy started sobbing uncontrollably as she clung to the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"That dream again, Gajeel! But it was so different this time! I was so scared! I had no control over my body! And when I saw Lu-chan appear from the fire, I-"

"You saw bunny girl?" he interrupted, furrowing his brow. _Coming out of the fire? She **is** dating flame brain. . ._

Levy's whimpering caught his attention and he resumed rubbing her back. "What do you think it means?" he whispered. She had an iron grip on his shoulders, her skin paling considerably as her scent soured with the unmistakable stench of pure fear.

"I think Lu-chan and I are in danger. . . "

To be continued. . . 

* * *

><p>So what did you guys think? :D<p>

Sorry it took so long. My computer was giving me problems and I wasn't able to do ANYTHING. -glares murderously at the thing- So leave constructive criticism to your hearts content and don't be afraid to be honest with me. All I ask is that you don't use profanities. It's okay in fanfics. It's not okay in virtual opinions. :P

Oooooh, and if you'd like, you can even send guesses of what might happen in the next chapter! :3

That's all for now. Till next time! ^_^


	3. Chapter 2

To say Levy felt crappy was an understatement. She down-right felt like **shit**, and this did not go unnoticed by Gajeel.

"Bookworm, go back to the hotel and sleep" he grumbled, nudging her in the designated direction. She only shoved him away and said "Absolutely not. If we both don't do this mission, I won't be able to accept my share of the reward. It wouldn't be fair."

He just **had** to roll his eyes.

"You're no good to me tired and bitchy, runt. Go back and sleep. It's only been two days." Gajeel wasn't normally the reasonable type, but in this case, he felt that it was either that, or deal with this irritable version of Levy. He'd rather not continue with the second option for much longer.

Gajeel eyed Levy warily, hoping she'd be her usual smart self and do as he said. He nearly smirked with triumph when he heard her sigh of defeat.

"Alright. I'll go to bed. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be more than okay. Now beat it runt."

Giggling, Levy jumped up to give him a quick kiss before dashing off to get some desperately needed rest. _Hopefully there won't be any weird dreams this time_ she thought, her happy expression going as quickly as it came._ I'll read up on it as soon as I get back home. There has to be some clues about what's happening. . . _

* * *

><p><em>Alright. Now how the Hell do I find an animal who's number one talent is hiding?<em> Gajeel thought, standing in the middle of the woods with a serious expression. It was obvious he was concentrating too damn hard.

"HA! It's scent! That's how" he announced to no one in particular, his face matted with sweat for no reason other than over-working his brain. _Take that ice freak! I **do** have a brain when the bookworm's not around._ He snickered all the way to their clients house.

* * *

><p>"Eh? Cl-Clara-beth's things?" the old man inquired, staring at Gajeel as if he were going to attack him.<p>

He just might if this guy asks the same question a **fourth time**.

Deciding that talking to their client was a waste of his time, Gajeel simply pushed past him and went in search of a room that looked like an animal lived in it.

Sure he found it, but who the Hell puts their pet in a neon pink room with normal pink furniture to decorate it.

"Old man, you've got some serious issues" Gajeel muttered, carefully walking into the room. _No wonder it ran away. I'd run too if I was stuffed into this creepy room_ he thought, sniffing about till he caught the scent he was looking for. Gajeel couldn't have walked out any faster. "See ya! I'm going to find your cat-thing now!"

He was running at that point.

The old man just stood there dumbfounded. "What a terrifying man. That kind of person is in Fairy Tail?" he murmured, closing his pretty kitty's room and limping to the living room. "I need a hot cup of tea."

* * *

><p><em><strong>No more<strong> she pleaded even if no one could hear her, crying as she continued to dance. **Please, my body's aching!**_

_The familiar face of her friend appeared from the flames, stepping out and toward her._

_**Lucy, we need to get out of here! Something's not right!** Her friend just joined her in the dance, crying as miserably as she was._

_They moved for what seemed like hours, the power curling around them both and pulling them flush against each other, squeezing till they were forced to dance together._

_Then the music stopped, leaving the pair to stand in the middle of the ominous silence with tear-streaked faces and dazed expressions. Not even the flames could be heard._

_"L-levy. . ." She wasn't sure if she was hearing things, but she looked toward her friend. "F-fight it" her friend whimpered, looking as though she were struggling against herself._

_"Now now, Mate of Passion. Don't go giving her ideas" someone purred. Both their heads snapped in the voice's direction, their eyes landing on the same man that had been appearing after every dance._

_His smile was meant to be pleasant, but it was truly sinister, accompanied by the glow of malice in the violet pools of his eyes. "It won't be long now. Just sit back and enjoy yourselves. It'll all be alright" he soothed._

_It felt as though snakes were stroking them._

_She decided to ignore him though, and heeded the advice of her friend. The pain that came with fighting was nearly unbearable._

_**What is this darkness in my mind?** she wondered, struggling against the invisible binds within her._

_Her struggling ceased, the feel of frozen terror washing over her and icing her bones to numbness. "_Doooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnn't mmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee_" a voice whispered, so faint that it could've just been carried in by the breeze._

_But she knew better. This chilling and foreign voice was in her own head._

_She knew it didn't belong there._

* * *

><p>Levy shot up from bed screaming, tears coming in thick trails down her face. "O-oh God. Wh-what's happening?" Her voice was hoarse, throat choked up with mucus as she continued to sob.<p>

Glancing around the room, she noticed that Gajeel had yet to return. "N-no. . . I can't be alone. . . got to find Gajeel. . . " she whimpered, stumbling out of bed and gathering her clothes. "H-have to find him. . . "

Once dressed, Levy ran out of the cozy room in search of her mate, trying to forget her dream. _This isn't good. I'll have to tell-_

She stopped in her tracks. _Lu-chan. . . could it be she's having the same dreams too? It seems weird that she's appeared in mine. . ._ With a new sense of urgency, Levy put all her adrenaline into her feet and raced off. _Oh Gajeel, we need to finish this mission fast!_

* * *

><p>"FINALLY CAUGHT YOU YA STUPID CAT!"<p>

Something so small should not have been so much trouble to wrestle. The thing was fucking strong for its size. _Hn, kinda reminds me of the bookworm._ With his thoughts drifting toward his cute lover, he couldn't help but feel a little worried. _Maybe I should go to the hotel before I give this back. She hasn't been doing so-_ "GAJEEL!" He nearly lost his grip on Clara-Beth when a small bundle of blue tackled him straight to the ground. _What the-?_ "Bookworm?"

"Oh thank goodness I found you! We need to finish this mission as soon as possible and get to Fairy tail fast!" Her words went in one ear and out the other, Gajeel too focused on Levy's bloodshot eyes, filled with fear, and tear-stained cheeks.

Gajeel tightened his grip on the carbunkles tail, causing it to hiss and scratch his hand. He didn't care. "What's wrong, Levy? Was it another dream? Why do we need to get to the guild so soon?" he rumbled, rubbing her back to help soothe her trembling.

It wasn't helping at all.

Burying her face in Gajeel's chest, Levy began to sob loudly. "It was different again, Gajeel. Lucy and I. . . there's something after us. . . the man called her a Mate of Passion for some reason and when I tried to fight the magic, there was a voice inside my head! It didn't belong to me Gajeel! Nothing in this dream is right!"

Levy seemed hysterical at this point and Gajeel became incredibly serious. "Alright. We'll go give this to the old man, collect our money and go, alright? We'll figure this out bookworm. It'll be fine" he stated, pulling her to her feet and stomping off to the mansion with an angry jeweled cat in one hand and a freaked-out Levy in the other.

_I don't know what the Hell is going on, but if it's making her this crazy, I need to beat the shit out of whatever's causing it_ he thought resolutely.

* * *

><p>If looks could kill, everyone that stood in Lucy's path as she made her way to Fairy Tail would've been stabbed repeatedly, drowned, burned, and buried within seconds. Taking her usual seat at the bar, Lucy slammed her head against the counter.<p>

"Lucy? What's wrong?" asked a worried Mirajane, setting a glass of water in front of the girl. The blonde could only groan.

"Just a bad night's rest, Mira. Don't worry."

"Eh? There's medicine for that you know, even magic."

Smiling softly, Lucy shook her head. "It's fine, Mira. It's probably because this is the longest Natsu and I have been separated."

The barmaid accepted this excuse and resumed her duties, leaving the stellar mage to her own thoughts.

_Wish I believed that myself, but if I were missing Natsu so much, my dream would be about him, not Levy. Now I've got to wait two weeks for her to come back with the meat-head_ she thought, giggling at the last part. _That's an accurate definition for him. Poor guy doesn't even realize how in love with him she is._

If only she knew.

The doors to the guild slammed open and Lucy's heart leaped when she heard a very familiar voice roar "I'M BACK EVERYONE! IT WAS ANOTHER STUPID RUMOR!"

"WELCOME BACK NATSU!"

Turning around, Lucy's smile could have lit the entire world as she walked over to her precious person. _He's back._

Natsu turned his attention to the blonde beauty making her way toward him and grinned so wide, it was a wonder his face hadn't split.

"Hey Luce! Miss me?"

Lucy was already in his arms at this point, her face hidden in his scarf with her arms gripping his shoulders.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I missed you a whole lot, idiot."

Natsu smirked and tilted her head so they would be eye to eye.

"I missed you too."

And so they engaged each other in a heated lip-lock, her fingers buried in his spiky pink hair while his arms held her closer than possible. They couldn't even hear the guild cheering in the background, too lost in each other.

Cheering turned into shocked yells as Lucy collapsed, the color visibly fading from her skin.

Natsu's hold kept her from falling to the groud, but he was shaking her lightly while screaming "LUCE! WHAT'S WRONG? ARE YOU OKAY? LUCE? **LUCY**!"

* * *

><p>After returning Clara-Beth and collecting their money, Gajeel and Levy were seated on the train, well on their way home.<p>

"Are you okay, Levy?"

The person in question snapped out of her daze and looked up at Gajeel, smiling weakly.

"Yeah. Just tired."

"Then maybe you should nap a-"

"NO!"

Gajeel's brow furrowed while Levy turned a bright shade of red, turning her face away in shame.

"S-sorry. Didn't mean to yell. . . "

Sighing, Gajeel pulled the girl into his lap and kissed the top of her head, whispering "It's gonna be alright, runt. Don't stress yourself out about it all." It infuriated him to see his mate in such a state. Levy's eyes didn't look as bright as they normally would, and her smile wasn't right no matter how you looked at it. Her face in general, though, looked exhausted.

Levy cast her eyes downward. "But-"

"No but's. Take a little nap, alright? I'll wake you up as soon as something goes wrong. I promise" Gajeel interrupted. He wasn't going to give her any other choice in the matter. If she didn't go to sleep till their stop, he'd knock her out himself.

Luckily, the second option would not have to be carried out.

"Alright Gajeel. You win" she murmured, closing her eyes and snuggling into his chest. She fell asleep in no time, and Gajeel couldn't stop the sigh of relief that pushed passed his lips.

_What the Hell's going to happen when we get to the guild? Should we tell the master? Flame-brain will probably want to know. Is bunny-girl going through the same thing as the bookworm?_ So many questions left unanswered, but he knew it wouldn't be long before they were all unraveled.

The question is, when the puzzle pieces come together, will it be too late?

* * *

><p>Despite his rough shaking, Gajeel couldn't seem to wake Levy up. <em>Shortie must have been really tired. Doesn't look like she's having a nightmare, so I'll leave her that way for now.<em>

Gajeel picked her up in his arms and left the station, making a bee-line for the guild. _The sooner I get there, the faster we figure this out_ he thought, a scowl that seemed permanently etched on his face resembling the one from his Phantom Lord days.

With the way people reacted to it, you'd think he was Moses parting the Red Sea. You know, without the terrified anxiety written all over their faces. And the lack of red too.

The locals scurried into their homes and businesses as if the hounds of Hell were nipping at their feet, allowing Gajeel to reach the guild in record time.

"Alright! Where's bunny-girl and gramps? We've got a serious situation here" he roared, kicking the doors clean off their hinges.

He wasn't at all comforted by the disheveled appearance of his guild mates, or the depressed Titania.

A depressed Erza was **never** a good sign.

"It would seem that Lucy is in a coma right now" Mirajane explained, walking up to Gajeel with a sad smile. "And the master is off on business with Lamia Scale."

He froze.

"We don't know what happened to her. One minute she's kissing Natsu happily- ah, he's back, by the way-, and the next, she's out cold and barely breathing."

The barmaid squeaked when Gajeel shoved her out of the way and laid Levy on the nearest table, shaking her violently. "WAKE UP BOOKWORM! **WAKE THE FUCK UP!** BUNNY-GIRL'S OUT LIKE A FUCKING LIGHT AND ISN'T WAKING UP" he screamed at Levy, the petite woman not even twitching from his harsh treatment.

_Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! **Shit!** This can't be happening!_ "Gajeel? What's wrong? Why isn't Levy waking up?" Erza questioned, giving him a hard look. "Is there something we need to know, Gajeel?"

Despite her attempt at intimidating him, he really didn't give a flying fuck. His damn mate wasn't waking up and he was the one that told her to take a short nap. If you're guilty and you know it, punch a wall!

Slamming his fist hard into the closest beam, it shattered with the force of his rage.

"I don't need you treating me like a fucking criminal right now, Titania! My woman ain't waking up and bunny-girl's in the same shit" he growled, giving her his best glare. You know, the one that struck fear into many of his previous guild mates? Yeah, that one.

Mirajane blinked curiously. "Your woman? I thought you two were just friends?"

"Yeah! There's no way our Levy-chan would ever date you!" Note to self: beat the snot out of mate's idiot teammates.

Flexing his fingers, Gajeel faced the whole guild. "We've been together for three months now. We were going to announce it when we returned from our mission, but as you can see, it ain't the both of us announcing it."

If only he had a camera. Jet and Droy's faces were priceless.

While the pair fainted, Erza looked ready to slaughter him. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? This is wonderful news!"

"Because bookworm didn't want her idiot teammates giving me grief."

The look was directed at aforementioned "idiot teammates", but they were too busy being knocked out from heartbreak.

Gajeel turned back to Levy and balled up his fists._ I bet this has something to do with those damned dreams of hers._

"Oi! Who here knows a dream interpreter?"

"What do you need one for? I think the two mates of dragon slayers take precedence over your late-night fantasies" he heard Cana snap in the background.

"Not for me. For bookworm. She's been having some crazy nightmares for a while and it recently changed to her and bunny-girl. She said something was after them, so we finished the mission early." he ground his teeth. "So that she could decipher it herself."

He could feel his magic surging. "But I told her to take a nap on the way here. Now she's stuck like this."

That's when he felt little hands on his left fist. "It's not your fault. I'm sure she needed the rest. You wouldn't have made her sleep otherwise. Don't worry Gajeel" Mirajane soothed. "We'll fix this. For now, let's put Levy with Lucy, then you and Natsu can get to work on figuring out what's going on, alright?"

With a nod, he picked Levy up from the table and followed Mirajane to the back area.

He was met with the sight of a trembling Natsu clutching a not-so-good-looking-Lucy's hand with so much force, he wondered if maybe Salamander might have even broken it.

"Hey" he grumbled, laying Levy on the bed next to Lucy's.

Natsu looked up at him, his expression filled with a flurry of emotions. "Hey."

"You up for helping me figure out what's happening to our girls? We'll get to relieve our stress on people."

Now, the interesting thing about this offer was that Natsu was not at all surprised when Gajeel hinted at his relationship with Levy.

The reason: he had already known a long ass time ago. The beauty of having a ridiculously sensitive nose.

Think about it. You'll get what I mean.

Getting up from his seat and giving Lucy a chaste kiss, Natsu turned to Gajeel, fire curling around his fists.

"I'm all fired up. Let's go roast the bastard responsible for this."

The Iron Dragonslayer smirked.

"I couldn't agree more."

* * *

><p><strong>It's short, but I can't write anything else without ruining the first surprise that will be rearing its ugly head.<strong>

**Feel free to review and the like. I promise it'll be longer next chapter! ^_^**

**Oh, and I'll be holding a contest. If you're interested, PM me for details. All shall remain a secret. ;)**


	4. Chapter 3

Magnolia looked like a fucking ghost town when Gajeel and Natsu strolled through it, their murderous auras alone scaring all the locals into hiding. The pair decided (in other words just Gajeel) that the first thing they needed to do was make a list of people and places to visit in order to get some answers.

So here they were, the rough and tough dragon slayers of Fairy Tail, sitting at a tea house with a pen and pencil.

Sipping on coffee.

"This shit is stupid! Why don't we just do whatever we think of first?!" Natsu growled, cracking the mug he was currently holding.

Gajeel grunted at his partner's ignorance, throwing his coffee all over the fire-eater.

"We're making this fucking list because with your attention span, we'd end up repeating the first two things we do over and over. In other words: WE WOULDN'T GET SHIT DONE!"

He did a very good job of leaving himself out of that excuse. Gajeel knew Natsu wouldn't notice.

Natsu shook off as much of the fluid off himself as he could, shooting a glare at Gajeel.

"Whatever. Let's just make this stupid thing and get to work. The faster we figure this out, the faster our girls are safe."

The pair were overcome with depression then.

It was killing them. Knowing that their women were suffering in a way they didn't understand. It made matters worse when they had to admit to themselves how ashamed they were that they couldn't even ease that suffering.

Sighing, Gajeel immediately started jotting down what they needed to do.

Interrogate ALL enemies (yours, flame-brain's, and the girls. If they got nothing, beat the shit out of them)

Consult every dream interpreter you can get your hands on (and by consult you mean threaten them till they give you answers. If they got nothing, beat the shit out of them)

Go to shorty's room and read through all her books. She's bound to have SOMETHING that can help us out)

He frowned and erased shorty, quickly replacing it with "Levy" before he continued on the list.

Make sure the idiot doesn't burn any of Levy's books. She'll have your balls hung on a mantle when she wakes up.

Gajeel didn't know what to put for five. He knew that they probably needed to do something, but it was escaping his thoughts just as he was about to catch it.

"We should probably talk to Sting and Shade. They're dragon slayers too. They might have mates of their own" Natsu suggested, finishing his drink in one swig.

Gajeel just looked at him in shock.

"You actually have a brain in that head of yours? I thought it was just hot air in there."

"Hey! Are you calling me stupid?!"

Gajeel snickered as he wrote down five, wondering if he should answer Natu's question honestly.

"We'll continue this later hot-head. For now, let's get to work. I don't think there's anything else left to do."

Natsu looked like he wanted to protest, but flashing through his mind was the image of Lucy's smiling face changing to the comatose-version of her he'd last seen, his mouth snapped shut and he nodded in agreement.

"Another time."

With their decision made, Natsu and Gajeel stood from their seats and threw down money before strolling off.

"Who should we talk to first?" Natsu inquired.

Gajeel thought for a moment before stating "We'll start with bunny- er, Lucy's enemies. Levy's too much of a push-over to have any, but I'll still check with her idiots just in case."

Natsu nodded in agreement.

"Alright. Then let's start with the first enemy she made when she joined the guild: Duke Everlue."

"Sounds good to me."

"Well that was a total bust" Natsu grumbled.

They'd just stepped out of what USED to be the duke's prison cell with no information, leaving said person bloodied on the floor.

Not dead; just thoroughly beaten against walls and ceilings and such.

. . . Okay, so he might be in a coma, but that doesn't matter right now!

Gajeel grunted his agreement, wiping his hands clean with a towel one of the guards so generously offered him.

"Who's next on the list?"

Natsu sighed as he began to wrack his brain for a name.

"So she might not have as many enemies as I thought" he admitted, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

The iron dragon slayer could only snort at his partner's stupidity.

"Fine. Let's start going after your enemies then. Anyone in particular coming to mind?"

"You?"

"Dib-shit. I'm a rival. There's a difference."

"So Gray's off that list too then. . . "

"Why would either of us do this to the girls?! You can't honestly be that stupid!"

"Quit fucking calling me stupid!"

They were nose to nose now, growling like the beasts they took after as their muscles tensed for a possible attack.

It was the best nature show ANYONE could watch.

Gajeel sighed in annoyance and pulled away, Natsu doing the same.

"We're not gonna get anywhere if we keep arguing like this" He reasoned.

Natsu hated to admit this to himself, but he knew Gajeel was right.

"Let's just keep our insults to ourselves till we get all this resolved" the fire eater muttered.

He hated putting fights on hold, but they weren't in the kind of situation where he had a choice. Not unless he felt like risking his Lucy.

They both became depressed again as they thought of their mates.

"Let's just keep going" they stated in unison.

The pair eyed each other with surprise at first, not used to actually agreeing at once, but grinned stupidly and made their way to their next victim.

Poor sap didn't know what was coming to him. . .

Two days and a ton of useless idiots later, Natsu and Gajeel found themselves in Levy's room, going through her books.

Unfortunately, neither of them knew how she had the place organized.

"I think I'm in Erza's section" Natsu announced, putting what looked like an erotic novel back on the shelf with a queasy expression on his face.

Gajeel was irritated. He'd gone through half of Levy's books (thanks to a very special pair of glasses), but he still couldn't find any answers to their predicament. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

"Oi! I'm talking to you!"

A book collided with the agitated beast with so much force, he actually fell backward.

"What the fuck?! What's yer problem?!" Gajeel roared, sitting back up as he shot the grinning assailant his most powerful glare.

"You were ignoring me. I had to get your attention somehow."

"Did ya find anything?"

"No."

"Did ya have a bright idea to fix this mess?"

"No?"

Gajeel's vision was starting to look a bit red. "Then I don't give a flying fuck what you have to say! I'm tired and I'm pissed; a dangerous combination for anyone that fucks with me right now. So keep whatever useless thoughts you have to yourself and get back to reading before I pop your head off. Got it?!" His threat was empty, but the fire-eater didn't need to know that.

Natsu sighed in defeat and roamed about the books, trying to find anything with dragons on it. It wasn't that he'd forgotten about their predicament. The poor boy just didn't know how else to cope with his depression. He felt that the girls wouldn't want them killing themselves over the situation and wanted to bring some light into it. He knew he couldn't think clearly when he was angry or depressed, so what else was he supposed to do? He'd be utterly useless if he didn't mess around a little. . .

"Oi, flame-brain! Did you even look at the book ya threw at me?" Gajeel's voice interrupted his thoughts, snapping him back to reality as he looked up at the gruff man.

"Uh, no. Why?"

"It's got something interesting in it about dragon slayers."

Natsu was across the room in seconds, reading the book carefully. The information in it could prove vital.

_**Religion #375: Danaism.**_

_**Danaism**__ is the worship of the great goddess, __**Danari**__, who was born a mortal woman. This religion dates back nearly 1 million years, but the ancient society that practiced its sacred rights, is no more. Among the legends that were thoroughly translated (as the society proved to be so secretive, most of their scrolls and scripts were in code, proving very difficult to study this cult), Danari earned her divinity by devouring the flesh of an evil dragon that had raged war against the gods. As their savior, she was blessed by their divine light and joined them as masters of the universe._

_Danari discovered that she'd acquired very dragon-like features and abilities, and used those qualities to do a great service for the world. She made the fires in homes warmer so that no one would ever be cold, she made wind when she beat her mighty wings, allowing the hard workers to bask in the refreshing air, etc.; All small things that went a long way, suggesting that the religion taught how even the simple things could make grand changes._

_The rituals and rights of this belief are unknown to us, but considering how far back it dates, it's not hard to believe there may have been sacrifices in her name, most likely in the form of young women._

_Despite Danari being a dragon goddess, nearly none of her worshipers were __**dragon slayers**__, contrary to popular belief. Instead, the __**Danarians **__considered the dragon slayers to be abominations of their great goddess, seeking only to mimic her power and claim divinity, so they became natural enemies._

"This isn't giving us much" Natsu stated, furrowing his brow. "But we might actually have some kind of lead."

Gajeel raised a curious brow. "Really? What's it say?"

Natsu handed the book over to Gajeel so he could read for himself. It only took a couple of seconds (he was glad Levy had bought him the glasses) before he shut the book and glanced up at Natsu.

"These guys don't exist anymore."

"Wrong. The REAL guys don't exist anymore. A religion can't die and you know it" Natsu retorted.

The iron dragon slayer was impressed with Natsu's reasoning and said "So it's possible that a new society might've spawned, and if that's the case, they're natural enemies of us dragon slayers."

They grinned proudly.

"Looks like we've got a crazy religion to un-earth; let's start with the author" Natsu stated.

"Agreed."

**Hey Hey everybody! Miss me?! I sure missed you! I finally got a new computer and less hours at work, so guess what that means?**

**FINALLY UPDATING THIS STORY!**

**Are you all excited, because I certainly am! Anyone wanna take some wild guesses on how the story will progress? Please do so! I freakin love you guys and am so moved by the feedback you give me! It makes me eager to write more of this story! 3**

**Well, I've gotta go for now, but expect an updated next week! :D**


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